Flood Disaster Hits Ifeoluwa CDA as Residents Seek Lagos State Government’s Immediate Intervention
….Resident Recounts Loses in Billions, Lives at Risk.
By Naomi Onome
Residents of Abaranje and adjoining communities within Ifeoluwa Community Development Association (CDA) in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have appealed to the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of the Environment for urgent intervention following severe flooding caused by recent heavy rainfall.
Community leaders from several Community Development Associations (CDAs), including Ifeoluwa CDA, said the recurring floods have reached alarming levels, destroying homes, displacing families and putting lives at risk.
At the centre of the crisis is the 6.4-kilometre Potokun Canal, one of the longest drainage channels in Lagos State. The canal conveys stormwater from inland communities such as Isheri into the Owo River before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through Agbara. Residents say years of inadequate maintenance, structural bottlenecks and environmental abuse have significantly reduced its capacity to drain floodwaters.
The communities described the humanitarian impact as devastating, claiming that property worth billions of naira has been lost over the years, while unidentified bodies are occasionally recovered from the canal after major floods.
Speaking on the severity of the situation, Chairman of the Potokun Clearing Committee under Ifeoluwa CDA, Mr. Olayinka Abereoje, recounted distressing experiences of families struggling to survive rising floodwaters.
According to him, some parents have resorted to placing children inside freezers to keep them afloat during flooding, while others have hidden their children in ceiling spaces after floodwaters rose above window level and inundated their homes.
Community leaders attributed the worsening floods to a combination of engineering failures, abandoned drainage projects and poor environmental practices rather than the natural terrain.
A community leader along the Omo Oye axis, Chief Andrew Onwuka, explained that flooding became significantly worse after the commencement of a bridge project linking Okerube and Akesan. He alleged that sections of the canal were blocked during construction, restricting the natural flow of water and causing floodwaters to back up into surrounding neighbourhoods.
Chairman of Ifeoluwa CDA, Barr. Shola Coker, also identified the wooden “Pako Bridge,” which connects the K&S axis of Abaranje to the expressway, as another major obstacle to effective canal maintenance.
He explained that whenever the state deploys swamp buggy excavators for dredging operations, the equipment cannot pass beneath the bridge, leaving large deposits of silt and debris uncleared. According to him, these blockages cause floodwaters to overflow into nearby streets after even moderate rainfall.
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Coker further expressed concern over the abandoned Olakunle drainage project, which was initiated to channel runoff into the Potokun Canal but was left incomplete without the necessary concrete drainage infrastructure. He said the incomplete project now causes stormwater to flow back into residential areas.
Residents also acknowledged that indiscriminate refuse disposal and the illegal discharge of sewage into public drains have contributed to the blockage of the canal.
They noted that although the canal requires annual dredging before the rainy season, government maintenance is reportedly carried out only once every two to two-and-a-half years, allowing weeds, silt and vegetation to accumulate and obstruct water flow.
Community leaders said engineers from the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment had informed them that a permanent solution would require comprehensive dredging of the Owo River, where the Potokun Canal discharges.
According to them, the project was estimated to cost about N4.96 billion as far back as 2020, with the amount expected to have increased substantially due to inflation and rising construction costs.
They therefore urged the state government to include the project in future budgets and prioritise its execution.
As immediate measures, the communities called for the urgent deployment of swamp buggy excavators to clear bottlenecks around the new bridge construction site and the Pako Bridge.
They also requested that a dedicated excavator be permanently stationed along the canal and managed by the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) to ensure regular maintenance.
For a lasting solution, the residents advocated the concreting and slabbing of the canal to reduce the growth of water-blocking vegetation, as well as the completion of the K&S-Olorunfemi link road to improve the discharge of surface runoff.
While appealing for government intervention, Coker urged residents to maintain peace and refrain from activities capable of worsening the situation.
He warned that the community leadership would no longer tolerate land disputes, civil disturbances or criminal activities that could exploit the prevailing hardship caused by the floods, adding that offenders would face both civil and criminal prosecution.
With the rainy season expected to intensify in the coming weeks, residents say they are anxiously awaiting swift government action to avert further destruction and possible loss of lives.
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